Is moving production to the US worth it?

M

MarkN86

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Sep 3, 2012
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The Delica and the Endura are not $60 knives anymore, the prices are pushing nearly or over $90 now and they're not as good of a deal as they used to be. If I can get a Golden made Lightweight knife in a better steel for such a small amount more it would be wise to invest a little more and go with that, you get more performance per dollar.

The world is changing, and since the Seki models are inflating in price without much to show for it, would it be cost effective or practical to move production of the most popular Seki models to Golden? Imagine a Golden, Colorado produced Delica in CTS-BD1N or S30V. I'd buy it over what is currently offered, VG-10 is very good but it lags behind other modern steels that you can get for close to the same price.

Do you think it would be better to keep the Seki produced models in Japan and upgrade the steel? If the transition went badly a lot of money could be lost, so there is something to be said about leaving well enough alone.

Personally I do like buying something produced in the US if possible, but it's hard to have much bad to say about Japan, they are fairly well made and Seki City has such a long history of blade making.

I don't feel too strongly either way, I just wondered what everyone else thought about it. I don't know much about the financial aspects of the knife industry, maybe someone else would have some input.
 
It's a valuable practice for a large company like Spyderco (and any company) to spread their production out internationally.
 
Hi Mark,

Probably not likely to happen. First of all, Golden is pretty backed up with production and we're having a hard time bring more models into Golden. Secondly, we like to be loyal to our partners that we work with outside of Golden. We've been working with these Seki makers for forty years. I worked with the father and the son and Eric is working with the grandson. We don't like to move a model unless there is really no choice.

They are also running closed to capacity in Seki. Like Golden, we're all trying to increase capacity slowly without affecting quality. A tall order.

sal
 
I doubt they'd have the extra production capacity to bring over the whole Delica family.

Well... the man himself replied at the same time.
 
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I there with you on the preference for US made goods. But I also wouldn’t hesitate on a Seki model (my kitchen knives are all Seki-made and I love them). There are some places that I would avoid, but Seki isn’t one of them.
 
Sal Glesser said:
Hi Mark,

Probably not likely to happen. First of all, Golden is pretty backed up with production and we're having a hard time bring more models into Golden. Secondly, we like to be loyal to our partners that we work with outside of Golden. We've been working with these Seki makers for forty years. I worked with the father and the son and Eric is working with the grandson. We don't like to move a model unless there is really no choice.

They are also running closed to capacity in Seki. Like Golden, we're all trying to increase capacity slowly without affecting quality. A tall order.

sal
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I really like that you are conscientious and want to preserve the loyalty in the relationships that you have. It's truly about more than the numbers, and that says a lot about a person's character.
 
I love the Seki made Spydercos and still find them a good value. I would be more inclined to question the production of the Chinese made models, for obvious reasons. Several countries, Japan included, have indicated that they will likely pull some production from China.
 
The world is changing and I hope we see alot more stuff produced here in the states. Things like Knives where I have a choice and a good selection I will only buy US made.
 
Buellrider said:
I love the Seki made Spydercos and still find them a good value. I would be more inclined to question the production of the Chinese made models, for obvious reasons. Several countries, Japan included, have indicated that they will likely pull some production from China.
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I don't mind buying quality items from Japan or many other countries, but it's become impossible for me to justify buying anything made in China, especially a luxury/hobby item.
 
It’s never good to put all your eggs in one basket. Even though it appears the same knife is being produced fora higher price than in the past, there are hidden costs that continually go up. One of them and possibly the biggest is labor cost. It’s not good to suppress a workers wages without some degree of cost of living increase and still have a loyal employee. It does take time and money to train a new employee, you don’t want to lose that initial investment because a better paying job is available. It would bother me more if spyderco and other nine producers didn’t raise the price to keep up with the times. I fear that they would lose seasoned employees and quality would go way down. That’s just my opinion.
 
I too like the seki models how they are and still consider them a good value.

I'm sure some folks remember the days when finding a new PM2 was more than a challenge. We don't want to go back to those days. As Sal said, production capacity is a major issue. Moving production to an already maxed out facility isn't a good path and neither is building more capacity only till fill it with production that is currently being done somewhere else. We want more new knives damn it! :D
 
I still like VG-10. Super steels like M390/204P have their place in my collection and my EDC is a Hap40 Caly 3 out of Moki, but a razor sharp steel that's got decent toughness, is very stainless, acceptable wear resistance, is easy to sharpen, and is relatively cheap is hard to argue with. And when it's time to play with a new steel, the factory in Seki can easily just make new blades for their existing knives. Moving production to the US would not be possible without an expansion of who knows how much production capacity and how many tens of millions in land, construction, and new equipment, and the loss of a lot of fun Japanese steels. It would likely increase the cost of all knives across the board. Sell me a knife made is the USA, or Japan, or Taiwan, or Italy, or China, as long as it is up to Spyderco quality standards.
 
Everything's already been said. Diversity is good, Golden can't handle any more as it is.

DocT said:
I would rather see mainland China production ease and sent elsewhere, to a place not at war with us.
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There's a place for political discussion in this forum, and it's not here (if you're a paying member, anyway). Please stop.

SteelPanther said:
every time Sal responds it makes me want to go get another spyderco knife...ur a class act sir
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That's why I keep buying them like potato chips! :eek:
 
Now that I think about it I'm not so sure I like the idea of moving production away from Seki City after all. Yes, domestic production is nice, but the first Spyderco knives were made there, throwing away that history would be a shame. The Seki models are some of my favorites and I don't want to see them go away. Don't get me wrong, even if VG-10 isn't the newest and best and knives aren't the absolute steal they used to be, they are still great knives and are worth buying.

I think I'm looking at the USA Lightweight models all wrong, they have always been an exceptional value. I got to looking around and saw what the prices used to be and it seems prices across the board that have gone up, inflation happens so I understand completely.

I don't want to get into the politics of China, but making the Tenacious elsewhere would probably drive the price to triple what it is now. It's a good knife but I don't know how I feel about that.
 
I still like VG-10, especially in a knife like the Delica.

IMO as a consumer, the Delica’s price pushes the envelope. As such, they should all be consistently top-notch in fit & finish QC. (Maybe the current runs are.)

I have a V-Toku2 model won in a GAW that is top notch in every regard. I would have been pleased purchasing it at MAP. The regular production piece I bought in 2016 was a bit rough; it wouldn’t fly at current pricing.
 
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MarkN86 said:
I don't want to get into the politics of China, but making the Tenacious elsewhere would probably drive the price to triple what it is now. It's a good knife but I don't know how I feel about that.
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That's always the big sticking point with supporting domestic production: you will pay more. But without getting too much into the politics of the recent gifts from China, I would gladly pay triple for something if it wasn't produced in China and I really wanted it. If it was only made in China, I would simply learn to live without it. I don't need any more knives at this point, it's just a hobby. I can't fathom supporting China, and indirectly condoning their actions, through my purchases, especially if it involves buying a luxury item that is completely unnecessary. This unfortunately means good companies might take a hit, but it also means consumer pressure might entice them to move production elsewhere. There are far more important things than prices and selection and I think we should start voting with our wallets, especially considering what has happened to the world.
 
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